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The UEFA Champions League is the most prestigious club competition in the world, where European clubs from different countries battle it out to be crowned Europe's best.
In 1992, the European Cup was rebranded into the Champions league and current title holders, Real Madrid remain the only club to have successfully defended the trophy they won the previous year.
For a club and its players to win the trophy in two consecutive seasons is hard enough, but for an individual player to do so with two separate teams is near impossible. Although, there are four players in the modern era of the Champions League who have done just that.
Here we take a look at four great footballers who have won Europe's elite prize in two consecutive years, with two different clubs:
#4 Marcel Desailly
Former French centre-back and defensive midfielder, Marcel Desailly played for teams in four different countries during his 20-year long footballing career. Having made his debut for French side FC Nantes in 1986, Desailly learned his trade along with current French national manager Didier Deschamps, who he rejoined at Marseille in 1992, after six years at Nantes.
Deschamps and Desailly formed a lethal partnership in the middle of the park and guided Marseille to their first and only Champions League victory over AC Milan in the final of the 1992-1993 season's edition of the competition.
Part of the squad was disassembled soon after their European success, and Desailly moved to Italy, joining losing finalists AC Milan, who pounced to sign the French defender.
Boasting the likes of Albertini, Maldini, and Panucci to name a few, Milan's addition of Desailly to the defensive ranks made the club favourites for success. Desailly created history with Milan, as the Italian giants went on to beat Johan Cruyff's Barcelona's 4-0 in the final of the 1993-1994 edition, and the Frenchman won his second consecutive Champions League crown.
Desailly was also part of France's 98 World Cup and Euro 2000 winning teams respectively.
#3 Paulo Sousa
Portuguese defensive midfielder, Paulo Sousa, like Marcel Desailly, won the Europe's elite footballing competition in consecutive years with two different clubs. Sousa began his career playing in Portugal with Benfica and Sporting Club de Portugal, where he made a big impact attracting suitors from all over Europe.
Sousa made his move to Italy to play for Turin giants Juventus, under Marcello Lippi in 1994. After two years at the club and with a Serie A title to his name in 1995, Sousa and Juventus claimed the club's first ever Champions League trophy beating defending champions Ajax on penalties in 1996.
Sousa left Juventus after the triumph and moved to Borussia Dortmund in Germany, to work under Ottmar Hitzfeld. Hitzfeld and Sousa guided the young German team to their first Champions League trophy in 1997, beating the Portuguese player's former employers Juventus in the final.
#2 Gerard Pique
Gerard Pique one of the best defenders in the world currently, has won everything there is to win in football both at a club and international level. Pique sought a move away from boyhood club Barcelona at a tender age of 16 for more game time and joined Manchester United and served as a good backup to Rio Ferdinand.
With United, Pique claimed his first Champions League medal in 2008 and was an unused substitute in the final against Chelsea. Pique, seeking more game time again, left United after four years and rejoined Barcelona, where he would go on to cement his place as one of Spain's greatest central defenders.
In his first season at Barcelona, under the then new manager Pep Guardiola, Pique went on to beat former side United in the final of the 2009 edition of the tournament, to win his second consecutive Champions League trophy.
#1 Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o, the most decorated African footballer of all time, holds the record for the most number of wins as 'African Footballer of the Year' and has won numerous accolades with different clubs, during his career.
Eto'o, who began his career with Real Madrid, was sent out on loan for a couple of seasons and failed to impress and make an impact. Mallorca signed the Cameroon international striker from Madrid in 2000 and spent the next four years developing his skills.
Barcelona came calling in 2004 and Eto'o made the switch, making him one of few players to play both for Real Madrid and Barcelona. Eto went on to win the 2006 Champions League to accompany a few La Liga titles. In 2009, his last year at Barcelona, Eto'o's goal in the final of the Champions League helped Barcelona to their second Champions League title in 4 years.
Eto'o's departure to Inter Milan coincided with Zlatan moving the other way to Barcelona, although Eto'o and Inter would have the final laugh, as Inter under Mourinho beat Barcelona in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Inter would eventually go on and claim their first Champions League trophy in 2010, with a win over Bayern Munich, as Eto'o became only the fourth man in the modern era to win back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles.
